Coming from a relatively small school in the northern plains of Colorado to our nation's capitol was a big step. A step that I thought would be challenging but never uncomfortable. The truth is I was forced out of my comfort zone. I went from popular school politician to little-known student "X" in a matter of days. I was the big fish in the pond that suddenly found himself swimming i
n a vast ocean with fish he never knew existed. It was scary at first, the water was cold and uncertain. Then slowly the water warmed and I acclimated to my new water. I am now a guppy. A guppy swimming among the big fish of Washington DC. Going unnoticed and ignored. Left to grow and learn the ways of these new waters on my own.Humans often associate growth and change with pain. My growth and change has been pleasurable and of great value to my future. My arrival to the Semester in Washington Journalism Program was the start of a journey that is far from over. I realized that I do not belong in the form-fitting journalism world. I was not interested in broadcast or print or anything in between. I was interested in political messaging. Instead I got social media and New Media Strategies. This is a temporary stop in my navigation of this new ocean. A launching point to further exploration.An exploration of journalism I never thought possible. For this guppy, journalism is discovery.
Friends, it is beneficial to become humbled, to shake off the shackles of a small environment and thrust into the abyss of uncertainty. True growth comes in this way.
As a big fish in a remote Rocky Mountain pond, I was hungry for more. This summer my hunger was satisfied... temporarily. As a guppy, my hunger only grows.
I have joined other guppies in the quest to satisfy thier hunger and we continue to swim up the narrow streams of success. Each guppy sifting through the muck, seeking truth, growing, and finding meaning. We will part and swim the many tributaries of journalism until we are again big fish, ready to be humbled again.
